BATON ROUGE - A parish-wide fix for drainage issues is still years away, although half of the sewer projects are complete.

The sewer rehabilitation project in East Baton Rouge is a part of the parish's master plan and comes with $1.2 billion price tag. According to the Department of Public Works, 50 of the 109 wastewater projects are finished, and 80% of the remaining projects are underway.

The original completion date was set for this December, but in 2013, the contractors were given a three year extension.

The director of the Department of Public Works, Bryan Harmon, said in an interview with WBRZ News 2 Friday, a main focus is bringing upgrades to the South Wastewater Treatment Plant off Gardere Lane.

"The work at the SWWTP is scheduled to be completed around the first of the year," said Harmon. "A project that will tie all of the dozens of projects together will wrap up shortly after that to allow these improvements to be brought on line."

The upgrades are expected to significantly reduce street flooding, a problem Friday when rain fell for most of the day. Numerous streets were covered with water and closed off.

Harmon added that crews are already working on building a wastewater storage facility on Plank Road near the Airport.